Brilliant Disguise
by Miranda Shadowind
Summary: Towards the end of one mission, the boys meet up with a new addition to the team. But as they're about to find out, there's more to this new pilot than meets the eye... NOT your average original pilot joins fic by far.
1. Mysterious Arrivals

Brilliant Disguise  
Miranda Shadowind 

A/N: It's been a few years since I first wrote "The Mysterious 6th Gundam," and lately I've been considering a rewrite. Both it and Krysta's Episode Zero were written when I was first really getting into GW. TM6G took place mainly on the Peacemillion due to the role-play chat that inspired it taking place there as well. (At the time the Peacemillion was the default non-battle setting for my RPG's Gundam pilots, both canon and original.)

Since then I've realized how late in the series the Peacemillion is actually used, and that the majority of the one-shot stories I wrote afterwards disregard that initial setting. So here, 3 years later, is my extended remix of TM6G. It's also given me a chance to give Krysta some character development and build up relationships. Certain scenes from the original are scattered throughout, albeit changed. As for the title, it's after the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name, and very fitting.

Chapter One: Mysterious Arrivals

"_And I don't want the world to see me,  
'cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken,  
I just want you to know who I am..._"  
-"Iris" (Goo Goo Dolls)

Things weren't going as planned, but then again what else was new? By order of the Mad Five, the Gundam Pilots had been split into two teams in order to take out two Mobile Doll factories at the same time. Heero, Trowa, and Wufei were to take out the larger one while Duo and Quatre handled the other.

This unevenness hadn't sounded like much of a problem at first, but they hadn't counted on the second factory's workers activating some already-completed MDs as a defense. Apparently they'd been warned by the larger factory that Gundams were on the loose.

Quatre and Duo were holding their own fairly well, but a little backup would have been nice. Along with the mission details Doctor J had mentioned that a sixth pilot would be joining their ranks within a week or so. An OZ-hating British earthling by the name of Kayle Riannese who'd trained under one of the scientists' associates, Professa Q.

Kayle would have met up with his fellow pilots a lot sooner, but injuries from a failed solo mission had delayed his coming. Now apparently fully recovered, he was finally on his way to rendezvous with the rest of the team.

"Why couldn't those old lunatics have waited til he got here to send us on this mission!" Duo grumbled to himself as Deathscythe cleaved another MD in half. "We wouldn't be short one Gundam and in this freaking mess in the first place!" He did his best to concentrate on the battle at hand and took out his frustration on the enemy, but this whole "new ally from Earth" thing had piqued his curiosity.

Just who was this guy anyway, and why hadn't any of them been previously informed that a rebel faction on Earth had created their own Gundam? According to Doctor J, long before Operation: Meteor took place a decision had been made to setup a secret backup suit and pilot, just in case. Had they known that the operation's objectives would change last-minute?

No one but the Mad Five themselves knew for sure, and they weren't telling. Either way, the whole thing had been kept secret from even the Barton Foundation. For all six scientists knew that if Dekim found out that Earth was preparing a Gundam of its own, all hell would break loose no matter whose side it was on.

"Watch your back, Duo!" Quatre's sudden cry over the radio brought the braided pilot back to full attention just in time to see a kamikaze MD headed straight for him!

Duo quickly turned his Gundam around and started to raise the left arm, hoping he'd be able to at least knock the threat off-course with his buster shield. The MD was coming in fast, and readying its main cannon...

But neither mobile suit got the chance to fire, for the MD was blasted to bits by a pair of intertwining energy beams from the side. "What the hell!" Grateful though he was for the unexpected save, Duo was still surprised.

Deathscythe and Sandrock turned in the direction from which the beams had been fired. There, now attacking the remaining MDs with a pair of blue energy katanas was... another Gundam! Midnight blue and purple in color, it was similar to the original five in basic design but a bit shorter and somewhat stockier around the torso. Their backup had arrived at last.

Duo was torn between bitching at the new arrival for waiting until the last minute to show up and thanking him for saving his (Duo's) neck given what had just happened. He settled for helping demolish the now-unguarded factory.

When it was all over, the strange Gundam turned to face the others. There was an awkward silence between them, as the new pilot hadn't uttered so much as a battlecry or a "Here I am!" since his arrival on the scene. He'd simply focused on the mission and protecting his newfound comrades, which made the others wonder a little if they didn't have another Heero on their hands.

"Who... who are you?" Quatre finally managed.

A figure in a blue astro suit appeared on the other Gundams' holographic screens. "I be Kayle Riannese of Bristol, and this 'ere is the bloody Geminae," replied the figure, tapping the side of his Gundam's console. "I believe ye were expectin' me?"

He removed his helmet to reveal a youthful green-eyed face, though his right eye was covered by a black patch. Medium-length chocolate brown hair covered his ears and was tied in a low ponytail that disappeared beneath his 'suit.

"Yeah, we were. Thanks for the save, I owe ya one. I'm Duo, Duo Maxwell," Duo replied with a grin. Now that the mission was over, this guy seemed friendlier than he'd first appeared to be.

"Nae problem. It's a pleasure tae foinally meet you lot."

Kayle wondered where the other three were, having not been told about this particular mission. He'd just seen the battle from a distance while heading for the next school the others would be transferring to and decided to help out.

"My name's Quatre Raberba Winner. Nice to meet you too," said a relieved Quatre, though he wondered why Kayle was dressed in an astro suit when there was no need for one on Earth.

'_The 'eir tae the Winna fortune is a bloody Gundam poilot?_' This information intrigued and confused Kayle, as Quatre didn't seem like a stereotypical stuck-up snob. Regardless, what was the richest underage bachelor in the Colonies doing down here piloting a Gundam? '_We've all got our own reasons, I guess..._'

As he pondered this strange information, Deathscythe's and Sandrock's consoles beeped. "What's taking you two so damn long!" Wufei demanded as his face appeared onscreen. "We're done already and waiting at the meeting place."

"Chill out Wu-man, we ran into some problems over here!" Duo snapped back.

"They activated some of the finished Mobile Dolls, but we're done now thanks to a little help from the new guy," added Quatre.

"The new weakling arrived?" Duo nodded, scowling at the comment. "About time too. Quit stalling and get over here already!"

Duo made a face at Wufei and switched connections to Geminae, who had thankfully been left out of the conversation due to its unknown frequency. "One of the other guys just called, they've finished off the other factory and are getting impatient." A divided mission, that explained things. "You wanna come with us or just head for the next school? We've got to mess with the records again tomorrow and transfer out first."

"Gimmie a minute tae think." Kayle considered Duo's offer for a few minutes, unsure. Knowing who the rest of his fellow pilots were would make them easier to track down once the transition had been made. But after introductions were over he'd have to double back to his original destination.

And having not expected to run into anyone before the next mission started, he wasn't quite ready to face all five at once, especially given the deep secret he was hiding. He needed to get to know them first and figure out if they would understand who he really was and why he was doing this. Duo and Quatre seemed friendly enough, perhaps they could be trusted. But what about the others, whoever they were?

'_Ye got yerself deepa intae this mess by intervenin'_,' he thought, '_now think of a way tae get yerself out..._'

Just why HAD he gotten involved in the battle earlier anyway? They seemed quite capable of handling things on their own, except maybe for that one MD he'd blasted himself. Something deep inside had nagged Kayle into revealing himself and saving Duo, but why...?

He couldn't deal with this confusion AND the other pilots at the same time, so his choice was clear. "Think I'll just 'ead fer the next school an' meet up wi' you lot once yer thea. It's easier tha way." Which was true, by then he would have formulated a proper plan to handle this new developement.

Duo, who had grown impatient and a bit bored waiting for Kayle's answer, sighed at the negative response. He wanted to know more about this guy now, not wait until the next mission had begun. And the others wouldn't be too happy about this either. But the decision was not his to make, so he relented. "All right, see ya then I guess."

"Count on it," Kayle nodded, then terminated the connection.

He felt a bit guilty that it had to be this way, but this was the path he had chosen and for now he had to stick to it. And thus the three Gundams and their pilots took off in two seperate directions, all of the latter confused but for different reasons.

- - - - - -

Meanwhile, Tuberov wasn't happy as he sat in Space Fortress Barge's control room. He'd just gotten the news that the Gundams had taken out not just one but TWO Mobile Doll factories that night. How the hell was that possible! Once it had become obvious what was going on the second factory to be attacked had been ordered to unleash its current supply of completed MDs. Surely they would have been more than a match for only two Gundams!

Just then a soldier rushed into the room. "Colonel Tuberov! We just deciphered the last transmission from one of the factories!"

"What does it matter, they're both leveled!" Tuberov cried in frustration.

"But according to the transmission, an unknown Gundam was spotted joining Gundams 02 and 04 in their attack!"

"WHAT!" _Another_ Gundam! Just how many of them actually existed, just waiting to be called into service!

The soldier didn't respond but simply inserted a disk into the computer and typed in an access code. Indeed, the panicking factory overseer reported seeing a Gundam unlike any of the five known ones. Also included in the transmission was some brief footage of Geminae making shish-ka-bob out of the MDs. Brief because unknown to Tuberov, shortly afterwards the connection had been cut off by a giant beam scythe going through that part of the complex.

"This needs to be reported at once. We need more information about that Gundam so we can revise our strategy!" Tuberov barked at the nervous soldier.

"Y-yes Sir! ...But what will I refer to the new Gundam as?"

A pause, then, "Since it was the last to appear, Gundam 06."

- - - - - -

(A few days later...)

Five heads looked up in a seemingly casual fashion as their English teacher entered the lecture hall along with the principal. They were used to this routine by now; it meant a new student was transferring in. And given the timing, it would most likely be Kayle.

When Duo and Quatre had arrived at the meeting place without him, the given excuse made sense but sounded a little suspicious. True, it would have made no sense for Kayle to transfer in for only one day just to get aquainted with the rest of the team. But something didn't seem quite right about this. Either way, Quatre had produced some stills from Sandrock's database so they knew who to look for.

"Class, we have a new student joining us today all the way from England," the teacher stated upon reaching the podium. That confirmed it, they were all here now. "Please welcome Krysta Michaels."

The five undercover pilots briefly exchanged confused and half-stoic glances before following the teacher's gesture. Surely they had heard the first name wrong, for no self-respecting boy would use a girl's name as an alias. "Michael" was probably his middle name, but pluralized for the sake of secrecy. Or maybe the teacher had said "students," and was about to announce Kayle's arrival.

But that was not to be, as they quickly realized. For there stood a smirking fifteen-year-old girl wearing the standard female uniform, her brown hair done up in a high bun. And she was alone except for the principal; no one stood beside her as she courtesied a little.

"Maybe Kayle's coming tomorrow and this was just coincidence," Quatre whispered hopefully across the aisle.

"Maybe..." Heero nodded, thinking. Something just wasn't right about this situation. Maybe Quatre was right, or maybe Kayle had already enrolled, considering he hadn't had to transfer out of the previous school. But a transfer student from the same country as Kayle - regardless of their gender - HAD to be more than coincidence...

If Duo was equally concerned about all this, he didn't show it. He was too busy playing the "ladies' man" and chatting it up with the mystery girl, who had since taken the vacant seat to Duo and Heero's right.

Normally Heero discouraged Duo's flirting, both for the sake of secrecy and the fact that missions took priority over romance. Chances were he'd never see the girl again after moving on to the next school or safe house. And even if she swore not to tell anyone who they really were, she couldn't very well tag along without worrying her parents. Sadly, this could not be said for a certain blonde-haired stalker who never took his death threats seriously.

But this time Heero just let Duo do his thing. There was a slight chance that Krysta had been one of Kayle's schoolmates prior to their transfers. If this was true, most likely Duo could charm some information out of her regarding Kayle's whereabouts. Little did Heero realize how close to the truth he actually was...


	2. It's All About the Scheduling, Baby!

Brilliant Disguise  
Miranda Shadowind 

Chapter Two: It's All About the Scheduling, Baby

"Simply changing into a costume or wearing a teensy mask can make you utterly unrecognizable to even your closest friends and relatives."  
-#46: Law of Flimsy Incognition (from the "Laws of Anime" site by Ryan Shellito and Darrin Bright)

"This is gettin' more complicated than I thought..." Krysta whispered as she slunk toward the staff computer lab for the second time that week. She'd noticed a conveniently-sized window of free time after her second class and decided to use it to tie up a few loose ends.

Unknowingly, Quatre had been half right. Kayle _had_ transferred in prior to the Gundam pilots' arrival, it just wasn't the real Kayle. But Krysta's appearance was no coincidence, she had set up a schedule consisting of courses she would take as one twin or the other. In this manner she planned on living a dual life of sorts as a means of getting to know the other pilots better. Granted, there was a greater chance of them finding out what was really going on, but she planned on telling them the truth at somepoint anyway.

Krysta had already hacked into the database earlier in the week when she'd first come as Kayle. She made sure she would have a room to herself for the duration of her stay, and made sure her two sets of classes didn't overlap anywhere. It would be hard enough remembering which class to attend as who without having to be in two places at once. It was also then that she registered herself under an altered name.

Since she'd done the scheduling herself, it would have made more sense to "arrive" as Kayle once the other pilots showed up instead, but the looks on Duo's and Quatre's faces First Period had been priceless. She was currently playing Kayle, as she had been Second Period. But between switching outfits and finding her next class she'd barely made it on time, so there had been no interaction between her and the other pilots.

Her reason to remain dressed as her twin for this excursion was simple. From what she had learned, one of her teammates was the group's designated hacker, the one who tampered with their financial records. If she ran into him during her current task, it would make more sense for him to see Kayle hacking into the system as opposed to a mysterious, innocent-looking foreign exchange student.

Finally, Krysta reached the lab and peered in the door's window. To her relief, though it was locked, it was also empty. She produced a pair of lock picks from the inside of her jacket cuff and quickly utilized them. Within less than a minute, she was in; she hadn't been nicknamed "The Fastest Fingers in all England" for nothing after all. After making sure all the shades were drawn, she booted up a computer in the back and began hacking into the student database to modify her profile.

She needed to clear the tuition fees and make sure that she would remain the sole occupant of her girls' dorm room as well. Having a roommate in either dorm would complicate things even more. She also made sure that she and Kayle had different lunch periods. Those pesky things were always last minute staff decisions. Obviously she would only use one, but it helped to have a free period in case she needed one.

She was so engrossed in her work that she paid no heed to the warnings her sixth sense was sending...

- - - - - -

Just outside the lab was Heero, who had come to do the usual revisionary work on the pilots' profiles only to find the room occupied. But by whom? '_The teachers should all be in their classrooms at this hour, so who is this?_' He tried the door, which opened easily. '_The lock's been picked, so it must be a student..._'

Heero crept into the lab toward the delinquent student, ready to draw his gun if necessary. But once he got a better look at him he realized that there would be no trouble. He recognized that eyepatch and those brown bangs that parted in the middle, though somehow it seemed like he'd seen the latter elsewhere before... Kayle had appeared in Second Period, but as he was one of the last to file in, his seat had been situated far from the other pilots'.

"You're Kayle Riannese, the British Gundam Pilot we've been waiting for," Heero stated rather than querried, stepping around the corner of the back row.

Startled, Krysta looked up at him, grateful that she'd followed her instincts and that the uniform was loose enough to hide her small cleavage. Apparently, after the other day's battle Duo and Quatre had spread the word about Kayle and given a physical description.

"Aye, tha be me. Jus' transferred in this mornin'. An' you are?" She recognized him as the boy who'd sat in front of Duo in First Period but hadn't caught his name.

"Heero Yuy, the leader." Maybe now he could get some answers. "You weren't present in First Period English today."

Krysta surpressed a smile. Good, he hadn't noticed the resemblance. She always kept her ears covered while playing Kayle to conceal the voice-altering earpiece she wore. The real Kayle's hair was cropped, but no one else knew that. "Was too, those gits must've put me in a different section."

"Usually our schedules are synchronized so we can move fast if a problem arises."

She nodded. "Tha's undastandable, buh the transfer was kinda last minute. Now tha the 'ole lot of us are 'ere m'sure we can work somethin' out."

Normally the scientists were in charge of enrolling the pilots when a mission required that they attend a nearby school. But "Kayle" had been so impatient after his sudden "recovery" that Professa Q barely had the chance to check the status of the last mission and where the team would be headed next.

But Lady Luck had still been on her side, as she'd been able to make her two mini-schedules coincide with Duo's and Quatre's (which happened to be the same. Now she understood why). They'd been the only pilots she knew at the time, and she'd figured that worse came to worse it would at least give some indication that Kayle was present. Hopefully her luck would hold out and the school board wouldn't grow suspicious. She'd managed to put a separate password lock on both schedules, but one never knew.

"Krysta Michaels" (after her middle name of Michelina), had been scheduled to arrive later in the week, when the rest of the Gundam pilots would surely be there. Her classes, English included, obviously consisted of the ones she wasn't taking as Kayle.

She casually got back to work and changed Kayle's arrival date accordingly as a precaution.

"Hn..." Heero walked past her and sat down at another computer to do what he'd come to do.

'_Not exactly the talkative toipe, is 'e?_' Krysta silently observed.

Though a bit glad that he'd finally made contact with Kayle, Heero was annoyed that the Brit wasn't concerned about the scheduling problem. Maybe he _had_ managed to get himself into a few more of the same sections as Heero and the others, but then why hadn't he said so?

This mixed with the "coincidental" transfer student that had appeared earlier was sounding more and more suspicious. Then again, Heero supposed it could be worse: it could have been Relena that transferred in instead of Krysta. But in his experience, such coincidences usually led to nothing but trouble. He had to get to the bottom of all this before disaster could strike.

Finishing up first, Krysta logged out, shut down the computer, and headed for the door. "Well, it was noice meetin' ya 'eero. See ye in class, 'opefully." She gave him a mock salute, opened the door a few inches, and peered out. And heard approaching footsteps. "Shit."

Though soft, the curse had been loud enough to reach Heero's ears. He quickly stood up, stoic expression never changing. "What is it?"

"Someone's comin' this way! I think we'll be alroight if we duck into tha bloody closet ova-" Krysta had turned her head just in time to see Heero dive out a now-open window. "Bleedin' Christ, is 'e crazy!" The lab was located on the building's second floor for crying out loud!

She dashed to the window and gaped as he hit the grass but didn't go splat. Instead, Heero slowly got to his feet, popped a dislocated shoulder back into place, and walked away as if suicidal leaping was nothing new to him. Which it wasn't, but Krysta didn't know that. Thankfully, from what she could see that section of the grounds was otherwise devoid of students, so no one else had seen his stunt.

"Bloody 'ell... Wot've I gotten m'self into..?"

Krysta then remembered the potential intruding teacher on the way and quickly shut the window. It was most likely too late for her to duck into the aforementioned closet, but with Heero gone that was no longer necessary. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard on the inside of her room in the girls' dorm, then simply vanished into thin air.

- - - - - -

Moments later, she reappeared in her intended destination with the beginnings of a headache. This teleportation power of hers was something that came naturally, though she didn't understand why. For her own sake she kept it a secret, usually covering the move up with a well-timed smoke pellet.

And even then it was used sparingly and mostly on spy missions because constant use gave her a headache for some reason. One of these days she'd have to look up her ancestors and see if they'd held similar powers, and why.

One look at her watch, however, told her there was no more time for contemplating anything. Her free time was almost over and she was due in History Class in five minutes! Krysta quickly changed uniforms (her standard blouse was thankfully hidden by Kayle's closed jacket) and turned her ponytail into a bun. Still panicking, she grabbed the first backpack she saw, stowed her voice alterer and eyepatch inside, and raced out the door.


End file.
